Botryoidal Hematite - Large Chunk (2-3 inch)

This large chunk of Botryoidal Hematite, 2-3 inches in diameter, is great for any mineral collection.

Botryoidal Hematite has a globular external form resembling a bunch of grapes. Earch sphere (grape) in a botryoidal forms when tiny particles of Hematite settle in domed layers. As more Hematite particles settle, the dome grows larger. Nearby domes then fuse together to form the botryoidal cluster. Hematite is the mineral form of iron oxide, with colors varying from silver-gray to reddish brown. Hematite was discovered on the planet Mars by the NASA Mars Global Surveyor and the 2001 Mars Odysses Spacecraft.

FOUND IN: AUSTRALIA, BRAZIL, CANADA, ENGLAND, MEXICO & USA

Hematite is a metallic gray iron oxide mineral, and the same stone of a differing variety as specularite.

Ancient Egyptians used it to stanch blood and promote the formation of blood cells. In the Middle Ages is was known as the “blood stone” due to the fact that the water used to polish it would turn red during the process, as if the stone were bleeding. Native American folklore states that war paint made from hematite will make one invincible in battle. People in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries wore hematite jewelry during mourning.

Scientists of the Mars Exploration Rover Project believe that deposits of hematite on Mars may help prove whether large amounts of liquid water ever flowed on Mars’ surface. They say that where water was, life may have had a chance to thrive as well.

Hematite is said to protect the wearer’s vita energy and guarantee survival. Amulets of hematite have been found in nearly every pharaoh’s tomb as a support in the afterlife.

Hematite Specifications:

• Color: Black, Black-Gray, Brown-Red
• Color of streak: Blood-Red
• Moh’s hardness: 5½-6½
• Specific gravity: 4.95-5.16
• Cleavage: None
• Fracture: Conchoedal, Uneven, Fiberous
• Crystal system: Hexagonal (trigonal); Platy Crystals
• Chemical composition: Fe2O3 Iron Oxide
• Transparency: Opaque
• Refractive index: 2.94-3.22
• Double refraction: –0.28
• Dispersion: None
• Pleochroism: None
• Absorption spectrum: (7000), (6400), (5950), (5700), (4800), (4500), (4250), (4000)
• Fluorescence: None